Chelsea defender trumps Virgil van Dijk as Premier League’s best in one stat

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Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has been the benchmark for central defenders in the Premier League for several years now, but one Chelsea star is outperforming him in one eye-catching stat this season.

Chelsea have conceded 13 goals in their opening 10 matches across all competitions this campaign, so there’s definitely room for improvement in the backline as a unit. Even so, we’ve been impressed by plenty of individual displays in defence.

The absence of Levi Colwill because of an ACL injury has left a gap at centre-back. Fortunately, Blues head coach Enzo Maresca does still have plenty of alternative options to cover.

Despite there being several capable centre-halves in the squad, reports in September claimed that Maresca thinks Chelsea need another defender to compete for the Premier League title.

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Tosin Adarabioyo sits top of Premier League passing stat

After seven gameweeks in the Premier League, Tosin Adarabioyo has completed more accurate passes per 90 minutes than any other player in the division. Therefore, he’s even higher than Liverpool superstar Van Dijk in the key stat.

Maresca’s style of play includes possession-based football and building out from the back, so his defenders need to be comfortable on the ball.

It is clearly a very positive sign that Tosin, 28, tops a key passing stat across the whole Premier League. He’s got an impressive range, too.

While we know that Tosin has limitations that prevent him from being mentioned in the same class as Van Dijk and William Saliba across the board, his passing is certainly comparable. It feels like an apt time to highlight that Chelsea signed him on a free transfer in 2024 as well.

The centre-back dilemma for Enzo Maresca

We’re intrigued to see how the Chelsea boss goes about picking his starting partnership at centre-back after the international break.

Of course, we expect to see plenty of rotation to navigate a busy schedule. Which two central defenders will be his preferred duo for the crunch fixtures, though?

Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile excelled against Liverpool as a pair before the break, so surely they have a great chance of playing in the next match away to Nottingham Forest on 18 October. However, Tosin, Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana will be alternative options to pick from.

Tosin has missed the last few games because of a calf injury, but he’s expected to return after the internationals.